


Dream SMP Theater AU

by methamphetamine_liker



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Actor AU, Alternate Universe - Actors, DadSchlatt, Gen, Help how do I tag, Tommy and Tubbo are brothers, dad philza and mom kristin, protag tommy, skephalo subplot, slightly implied read between the lines dreamnap, theater bullshit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:09:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28939734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/methamphetamine_liker/pseuds/methamphetamine_liker
Summary: In a last ditch effort to save his cinematography grade, Dream takes a leap of faith and tries something new.
Relationships: Cara | CaptainPuffy/Niki | Nihachu, Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Dream/Sapnap (Implied), Zak Ahmed/Darryl Noveschosch
Comments: 35
Kudos: 174





	1. Prologue

A young man’s voice rang out in the stairwell. “Mum! Mum, have you seen my CDs?” 

His mother didn’t answer, perhaps not hearing him. “Mum?” He sighed. The wooden stairs seemed to get even longer as he walked up them. Heading down the hall, he walked towards his brother’s door. Caution tape you’d see in one of those teen movies was draped across the door, accompanied by an old magazine cut-out, It was a recipe for a “Lemon Double Dutch Baby”. He remembered when they were both 8, they thought it was the funniest thing in the world. 

He knocked. “Tubbo!”

A gentle voice came from the other side. “Yeah, Tommy?”

“D’you know where my CDs are?” Tommy asked.

“Afraid not.” 

“Damn it,” The blonde mumbled. “If you see them around, let me know!”

“Alright!” 

The search for them continued. Instead of walking back downstairs, Tommy made a left to the bathroom. He gave himself a look in the mirror, running his fingers through his hair a couple times. Ram ears poked out from the sides of his head, or were they deer’s? He wasn’t really sure, he just knew him and Tubbo were some kind of hybrid. Those types of questions made Phil go quiet. He ran his hand through a few more times and-

“Huh?” 

Speaking of hybrids; he felt two solid places on his head. Were horns growing in!? “What the FUCK?” He was thinking out loud, albeit a bit louder than anticipated. 

“Tommy?” Tubbo called from outside. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah, fine-” He assured his brother. 

Something was up, Tubbo could tell. “Are you sure?”

“It's probably nothing,” Tommy said. “Just- Come here a second.” The door opened with a gentle click. “Feel.” The taller boy pointed to the top of his head. Standing on his toes, Tubbo felt his noggin. 

“...Horns?” His face looked deep in thought, yet like he had no idea what to think at the same time. “We could figure out what we are a hell of a lot easier!” A smile cracked in his expression. Tommy smiled, rubbing the top of his head again. “With our superb deductive reasoning,” Laughter erupted between them. “I think we should wait a bit though, see how they grow and shit.” 

“Yeah, yeah you’re right. I’m still pretty psyched though.” Again, they both laughed.

“They could be ram horns, or deer’s,” Tommy felt his chin in thought. “Or something else completely.” 

“We could be elks,” The shorter boy folded his arms. “Or jackalopes?”

“Shut up.”

Tubbo chuckled, making it impossible to tell whether he was joking or not. Almost as if on cue, they heard the door open from downstairs. “Race you there, BITCH!” Tommy swept Tubbo aside and came barrelling down the stairs. Tubbo ran after him, sliding down the railing as he came down. They bounded into the kitchen to greet who had just walked in and was now setting down the groceries on the wooden countertops. “Hey, Phil.” Tubbo said, looking over the various paper grocery bags on the counter. His brother began rifling through them. “Did you get Gogurt?” 

Phil laughed, if Phil didn’t laugh at least once you knew it was a bad day. “Hey, Tubbo, and yeah Tommy, I got Gogurt.”

“You’re the man, big P.” 

The brunette put the celery, cucumber, and potato chips in the vegetable crisper. “So, actually,” 

Their dad put a jar of honey in the cabinet. “Mhm?”

Tommy didn’t hear the rest of their conversation, instead he began to wander off. Their house wasn’t huge all things considered, but it had a way of making you feel lost in its surroundings. It was easy to stare at the few paintings hanging up for a long time, almost like Tommy could walk right into them. He wandered into the office, where a big spinny chair sat behind a desk. The desk was old, wooden, imperial looking. For a brief moment he plopped down in the chair and spun around. Several cabinets lined the front of the desk. For some reason, Tommy felt the compulsion to LOOK THROUGH ALL OF THEM. THEY WERE JUST SITTING THERE ALL PRISTINE AND MYSTERIOUS AND A BUNCH OF OTHER ADJECTIVES. 

The first one slid open by his hand, revealing a manual pencil sharpener made of clear blue plastic. The second contained nothing, verbatim for the third. Old paperwork in the fifth and sixth. And then there was the top drawer, it had an eerie presence for some reason. Staring at it felt strange, like there was something Tommy wasn’t supposed to see in there. He exhaled a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and opened it. 

Inside was a single letter, with a single word on the envelope.

“Phil” 

(A letter for Phil? Should I open it, or would that be impolite?)

Upon further inspection, the seal on the envelope had been broken. 

(Ah, fuck it. I would be on my death bed wondering what was in it otherwise.)

“Phil, I can’t fucking take care of them anymore. I have no money, nowhere to go, and I don’t think I can give them what they need. Take care of-”

“Tommy!”

Before he could finish reading, he’d been called from the other room. “Be ri-ght there!” His shaking hands folded the paper back up and slipped it into the envelope as fast as humanly possible. He shoved the desk drawer back in with a thud and made his way to the hallway.


	2. Unexpected Guest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In an attempt to avoid their math homework, Tubbo and Tommy accept a peculiar offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao sorry i edited this and reposted it so many times im getting used to ao3

“Yeah?” 

“Sapnap wants to know if we’re busy,” Tubbo explained. 

That was a perfect opportunity to put off math homework. “Well, I’m not. You?”

Unbeknownst to Tommy, his brother also had math homework he was putting off. “Not particularly.” He glanced back at his phone. “He says to give him a ring when you can.” Then Tubbo remembered. “Oh, one more thing!” 

“Huh?”

“Wilbur’s coming over soon,” He tapped his foot with excitement. “His book’s just sold over a thousand copies!” 

Tommy set his elbows on the table, grinning ear-to-ear. “Incredible! A fuckin’ thousand?” There was a ting of disbelief in his eyes. “D’you remember all those nights he’d been locked in his room typing away?”

“Like yesterday.”

“I’ll be honest with you, at first I thought he just- hA HHA- got himself an internet girlfriend.”

Tubbo’s phone buzzed.

Sap man: Cool when

Tubbo: I’ll see probably today though 

Tubbo: Wilbur’s coming over for a little bit

Sap man: Tell him I said he looks like a ranch dorito boy

Tubbo: Will do

The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” Tommy speedwalked to the door and opened it. There stood his brother, trenchcoat and all. 

Wilbur took off his beanie and put it in his coat pocket, revealing his shaggy hair. “Well if it isn’t my little brothers.”

“Well if it isn’t BITCH BOY.” Tommy barked. “I heard your book sold over a thousand copies, mate!” He side-stepped, allowing Wilbur to enter.

The tall man gave a gentle laugh, walking past the doorway. He shut the dark oak thing behind him. “Yeah, I thought I should pay you two a visit to celebrate.” Then Wilbur began shuffling through the many pockets on the inside of his coat. “I also got you something,” A shiny bee pin rested in his right palm. Tubbo’s ears perked up as he said a delighted “Thanks!”, pinning it on his green button-up. Wilbur pulled a chocolate pudding cup from one of the other pockets and handed it to Tommy. “Hold on,” he said, holding his finger up for a brief moment. “There we go.” Wilbur set a red plastic spoon on top of the pudding cup. A bit less impressed, Tommy said “Thank you, Wilbur.” The blonde set the gift onto the table. “I appreciate you visiting, Wilbur. Techno only talks to us about every other Christmas.” 

“He gives us some pretty cool presents, though.” Tubbo noted. “Last year he gave me pepper spray and you a swiss army knife.” His phone buzzed in his pocket twice.

Sap man: Wait actually can Wilbur come too

“Sapnap wants to know if Wilbur can come.”

“Come where?” 

A devious thought struck Tommy. “Under.”

“Under whe- oh goddamnit-” The tallest rolled his eyes. 

“HAAHAHAHAHAH actually though,” Tommy’s tone of voice shifted like a radio switching channels. “One of his college friends is looking for people to help him with a theater experiment of sorts,”

Curiosity sparked in Wilbur’s brown eyes. “A theater experiment you say? Wait, is his friend’s name Dream?”

“How’d you know?” Tubbo was bewildered. 

“Oh, me, him and Sapnap were in a creative writing class together for a while. Can’t say I got to know him very well, though.”

“What was he like?” Tommy took a seat on the stairs. 

Wilbur followed suit and sat down next to Tubbo at the table. “Kind of a strange bloke, actually. He always seemed deep in thought, if you asked him what he was thinking about though, he’d say that it was nothing much. He didn’t talk to anyone much really except for me and Sapnap. Really smart though, and you wouldn’t guess it, but he was a really funny guy once you got ‘im going.” 

The shortest boy tapped his fingers on the survival handbook Phil had left on the table. Beside it were chicken and rooster shaped salt and pepper shakers, he had a hard time remembering which was which. Pepper was probably the rooster, he thought. “Did he write anything interesting?”

“I read a couple of his drafts, some were brilliant. He just had a hard time finishing them.”

“I get that.” Tommy nodded. “I should probably call Sapnap.” He walked upstairs to grab his phone. His door was right next to the bathroom upstairs, yet his younger self made sure no one would confuse the two by taping a piece of paper that read “TOMMY’S ROOM” in huge letters on the door. For a prank a while ago, Techno had superglued a “Children crossing” sign he stole right under the sign. Tommy had long since taken a sharpie and turned it into “MEN crossing”. He walked over to his bed and searched under his red fleece blanket. No luck. Next, Tommy scanned his desk for it. There it was, right beside the keyboard. He dialed Sapnap and waited for him to pick up.

“Hello?”

“Ello.”

“Did Tubbo tell you about th-”

“Yeah, I’m in.”

“Cool, cool. I owe you one. Is Wilbur there?”

“He’s downstairs.”

“Is he up for it?”

“He seemed interested, yeah. I’ll take him with us when we meet and see what he thinks, yeah?”

“Sounds like a plan! I’ll send you the address and shit.”

“See you, bruv.”

“Bye Tommy.”

Tommy put his phone in his pocket and walked out of his room. It was Techno’s formerly, but Tommy put a new bed in there as Techno’s was more of just a miniature trampoline with blankets strewn across it. He shouted from the top of the stairs. “Wilbur!”


	3. Chasing it Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy gets the sitch and sees some new faces, well, a new mask too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew bit of a long one

The stoplight Wilbur was at had been taking a particularly long time to turn green. (I should probably put on some music so there isn’t awkward silence or anything.) He decided. He pressed the button on the CD player and a CD with purple writing on it popped out. “Mellohi” it read. 

“Oh, there it is,” Tubbo remarked, observing from the passenger's seat,  
Tommy looked over from the back right seat. “Give it here!”

“Why did I agree to drive you two again?”

“A horrible decision, really.” Tubbo agreed.

Tommy pressed. “Give me the disc!”

“Alright, calm yourself.” Wilbur handed Tommy the CD before reaching over to open the glove box. After a couple of seconds, he pulled out the case for another CD. It was brightly colored with a lion in the middle, the Mother Mother album, “Eureka”. “Could you put this in the player, Tubbo?” Wilbur put his foot on the pedal as the light turned green. 

“Sure.” The ram opened the case and put the disc inside of the player. 

“Commonplace things seem to have great significance.” The voice from the radio said. The drum line that rolled in calmed Wilbur. He relaxed his shoulders and looked at the apartments from far down the road. Clouds completely masked the blue sky, it wasn’t dark though. The radio clock only read 1:03 PM. It would be a good ten minutes before they got there, he calculated. His phone’s GPS said so, anyway. His brothers were quiet for once, as Wilbur took a left turn and cruised down the road surrounded by trees like a leaf-covered fence. 

Tommy peeled back the seal on the pudding cup Wilbur gave him and took a humongous spoonful. And then a thought struck him. (What was that letter about?) He swallowed hard. (Take care of who? Maybe a pet? Maybe it's a material thing and not even alive. Or take care as in MURDER??) Wilbur wasn’t a hybrid like him and Tubbo, he had the privilege of being fully human. More job opportunities, safe from occasional glares on the street, and nothing unorthodox to manage. 

Bzzt. His phone went off. With one hand, he unlocked it to see a text message from Fundy.

Asshat (Fundy): hey big t

Tommy: hello

Asshat (Fundy): quackity invited me to this theater thing he said u might show up r u coming

Tommy: im on my way right now

Asshat (Fundy): k cool see you in a bit

Tommy: ditto 

The second track, “Baby don’t dance” came on. Wilbur tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.

***

They arrived at an old warehouse building, it was so damn tall; not even a ghast could hit its head on the ceiling. The old bricks had vines snaking all across them, and a huge tree around the back. Tommy stepped out of the car, leaving his Mellohi CD on the charcoal gray seat.

“Hey, guys!” There was Fundy, the fox hybrid greeted them with a faint smile. 

“Hey, Fundy!” Wilbur and Tubbo said in unison. 

The warehouse door a few feet behind Fundy opened, revealing yet another person. A black-haired man with a familiar burn-scarred face stood in the doorway. “Well look who decided to show up.” Sapnap walked back in, gesturing for the other to do the same. The four boys followed him inside. Tommy took in the surrounding area, making note of the stage accompanied by a thick black curtain. Beside the stage was a doorway, presumably leading to dressing rooms and such. The five of them approached a director's chair. Unlike most of the space, it wasn’t empty, there sat a blonde man in a green hoodie with his back to the small crowd. 

“Uh, Dream, they’re here.” Sapnap prodded the man’s shoulder, prompting him to turn around. 

“Oh,” He whipped around, the thing that struck Tommy immediately was that he was wearing a mask. A white, simple, and perpetual smile was on it. “I’m Dream, it’s nice to meet you.” No hand reached out for them to shake.

(No last name even?) Tommy wondered. “Tommy Innit-Minecraft.”

“Wilbur Soot-Minecraft.”

“Tubbo Minecraft.”

“Fundy.”

“I already know your name, Fundy.” Dream laughed. He gestured to the other three. “I take it you three are related?”  
Tubbo nodded. “We’re brothers.”

Wilbur looked at the eccentric man with intrigue. “Tell me about this theater project of yours.”

“You’re very direct, Wilbur. I always liked that.” It was impossible to tell, but Tommy was pretty sure Dream was the type to have a sly smile. “My grade in cinematography is in the PIT.”

Tommy sneered. “That sounds like a you proble-OW!”

Wilbur elbowed him. “Shush. Continue, Dream.”

“And so I wanted to make a project that would blow all my others out of the water. I wanted to try out something more… improvisational.” He continued. “The project will be episodic if all goes according to plan. You all will be the actors.” 

“Improvisational?” Tommy raised an eyebrow. 

“Instead of a strict script, you all will be given an outline of key events and you’ll fill in the gaps in real-time. As for your characters, you’ll be given a list of a few character traits,” The blonde straightened his back, “But as far as characterization and development go it’s completely up to you.” 

A spark caught in Wilbur’s eyes. “Have you got this outline worked out then, mate?” 

“Some of it,” Dream pointed to the tall man. “I was kinda hoping you’d help me with that part though, Wilbur.”   
A spark caught in Wilbur’s eyes. “You’ve got the man for the job, my friend!” This was the happiest Tommy and Tubbo had seen him since he finished his book. “I would hug you, but I know you find them a bit awkward.” 

“Pff, thanks Wilbur.”

Tommy’s mind started to wander, and so did his feet. He decided to explore the rest of the dusty warehouse by himself. 

“Where you going?” Or with Tubbo. 

“Just going to walk around a bit, see what’s up. Why, d’you wanna come with me?”

“Sure.” 

The brothers walked through the doorway to the right of the stage. The walls were brick like the rest of the building, there were even a couple of vines growing on them like the outside. The backstage area was less spacious than the main room, the ceiling was a bit lower, but nothing that Tommy had to worry about, being the tall gentleman he was. Mirrors of all different shapes and sizes dotted the space. A few were accompanied by tables cluttered with make-up and other supplies. Two people were standing near a full-length mirror. 

“You look pretty,” Said the one leaning against the wall. “You don’t need to keep checking.”

“Aww, thank you.” Said the one in front of the mirror. He was wearing black with red accents. Horns poked out of the hood over his head.

“Ello.” Tommy said.

The one leaning against the wall looked up. “Oh, hi.” wore a light blue hoodie. Among his tan complexion were bright blue eyes that sparkled like diamond. There were also a few sparkles in his black hair, Tommy noticed. He must’ve been one of those gem people he’d heard about. “Do I… know you?”

Tommy clarified. “We’re friends of Dream’s.”

“Oh!” The shorter man stuck out his hand. “I’m Skeppy.”

“I’m Tommy, the child over there is Tubbo.” Tommy shook his hand.

“Says the one who eats Gogurt on the regular.” The ram shot back.

Tommy yelled. “Not lately since you been fuckin’ eatin’ all of it!” He broke the handshake with Skeppy.

“What are you talking about?!” He exclaimed. “I didn’t lay a hand on the Gogurt!” 

“Not only are you a child, but you’re a lying bastard child!” 

The hooded one whipped around. “Language!” He squawked. Skeppy erupted with laughter. “You don’t even know these people and you’re language-ing them!” A demon’s face poked out from the hood. “I guess I should introduce myself then.” He sighed. “I’m Badboyhalo, but you can call me Bad.” His smile was warm and friendly for a demon. “Now can I language them, Skeppy?”

“Yeah, go nuts.” He smirked at the ground and Tubbo noticed something on the back of his hand. A crack in his skin was there, but instead of any kind of gore, there was just diamond. He didn’t know gem people did that! His eyes focused on it further and his ears began ringing. “Ow-!” He then held the sides of his face, his vision began to fade.

A voice rang out in the darkness. “Skeppy! Skeppy are you okay?!”

He made a choked sound, but it didn’t sound like him? He caught blinks of somewhere grassy, at the bottom of a cliff. Struggling to move, he looked over and saw a hand impaled by a netherite blade. Was it his hand? It looked a different skin tone than his, but he felt the sharp sting all the same.


	4. Counting on the Wonder Ahead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont have a summary for this its kinda short lol but key event in the next chapter!! ill try to do some faster-paced shit

“Tubbo! Tubbo?” A familiar voice shook Tubbo awake.

“...Mmngh …..Tommy...?” His head was swimming.

Bad paced over to them. “Is everything alright?”

Tommy was lifting him off of the hardwood floor, he felt a pain in his shoulder though, so perhaps he wasn’t quick enough to break his fall. He caught a glance at Skeppy standing next to them. He reached out towards his hand. “It was… ne...therite..” Skeppy’s eyes shot wide, as Tubbo seemed to zonk out again. “How did-WHAT?!” The demon placed a gentle hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him down. 

“What’s all the yelling about?” Someone Tommy would recognize anywhere came rushing in. A beanie covered his head, as usual. 

“I didn’t know you’d be here, Big Q!” 

“EYYY TOMMY-” Quackity looked down for a moment. “-Wait is Tubbo alright?”

For the first time in quite a while, Tommy looked worried. “I don’t know, he passed out on us. Maybe his blood pressure is really low, I just hope it’s nothing serious.”

“Oh, I’m alright. Hey, Big Q!” 

“WAAAH!” Tommy almost jumped 6 feet in the air from the surprise. Tubbo was standing right behind him. “How do you keep doing this spooky shit?!”

The ram shrugged. “I was surprised you didn’t notice me moving, actually.”

“Nevermind that,” Tommy shuddered. “How’s life been treating ya, Big Q?”

Quackity laughed. “Same shit as always.” He pointed to the brunette. “I like your bee pin.”

“Thanks!” Tubbo smiled. “Wilbur gave it to me.”

Speaking of Wilbur, Tommy received a text message. 

Wrongen Soot: hey me and dream have made a couple character sheets if you wanna see yours  
Tommy: chewing the rag with quackity be right there

***

Wilbur handed a few characters sheets out to the motley crew. Tommy and Tubbo then sat down on the edge of the stage to look over theirs.   
The shorter ram scratched his ear before reading out his. “Educated, yet naive, shy, but friendly, hard time standing up for himself, inventive.” 

His brother followed suit. “Bold, doesn’t always think before he acts, brave, foul-mouthed, and more sentimental than he lets on.”

“That sounds just like you in real life.” Tubbo remarked.

“Yeah, so does yours except it’s missing UGLY” 

Tubbo sighed, then laughed with his brother.


	5. Drug Van Blues

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur and Tommy's acting skills are put to the test.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what i lack in skill i make up for in dialogue-

Bad and Sapnap were shifting things around on stage, creating a set, Tommy presumed. They arranged tables to where there was a space between them in which you could walk. There was one large oak table in the center, it was empty, in contrast to the tables on the sides dotted with brewing stands. Dream walked over to Tommy and Tubbo as they looked on in curiosity. “We’re setting something up as sort of an acting test,” he explained. “It isn’t part of the story or anything.”

Tubbo nodded. “Would you fill us in on the set-up?”

“I will,” Wilbur replied. “Basically Tommy and I own a drug caravan.”

“Oh hell yeah!!” Tommy seemed pretty psyched.

They hopped up on stage as Dream cracked his knuckles one by one. “Ready?”

Nervousness swelled in Wilbur’s stomach for a moment. Had he overestimated his acting skills? Would this go terribly wrong, and end with an F on Dream’s report card? “As I’ll ever be.” There was no time to dwell on it. “Are you, Tommy?”

“I’ve been ready since the day I left the womb, Wilbur.” Tommy placed his hands on his hips. 

Wilbur grimaced. “You didn’t have to phrase it like that-”

“If you say anything about vernix I will sock you.” Fundy chimed in. 

The brief silence in the room was filled by Dream announcing “Action!”

“Oh, uhm,” At once, Wilbur cleared his throat and began. “...To... unsuspecting people, we just look like regular ol’ caravan drivers.”

Then Tommy asked, “Aren’t the windows going to be a problem?”

“No, no, they won’t see.” The tone of his voice became gravelly, causing Tommy to laugh. “They’ll trust you, Tommy, you’re young, naive-”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Wilbur shook his head. “Don’t worry about it,” He stifled a laugh. “We’ve already got a customer, actually!” A quick wink motioned Fundy over. 

“H-ello gentlemen, I’m, I’m here to pick up my drugs.” Good, he got the message. 

The character he was playing began to stick. “Thank you for your business.” Wilbur gave him a handful of nothing, pretending as if there were a plastic bag in his hand. There weren't really any suitable props on set, besides a smattering of brewing stands. He could work with it though. 

“Have a nice day.” Fundy walked off behind the ebony curtain. It was a little distracting just seeing him standing there, but the actors tried their best to pay it no mind. With a wave, Wilbur replied, “You too!”

Although it had been going smoother than expected, Tommy had no idea what to say next. So he decided to take something out of Wilbur’s playbook and bring another person on. “That reminds me, I have a new recruit.”

“New recruit?”

“Yeah,” Over to the right of Dream’s chair was the recruit. “Tubbo!! Tubbo!!” Tommy mouthed silently. Not as smooth as Wilbur, but hey, it worked. Tubbo walked up on set. 

Surprise crept across the taller man’s face. “You want to recruit our own brother?!” So this was how it was.

“Yes,”

“Isn’t he a little young for this?”

“I’m a few months younger than him!!”

Without a word, Tubbo stood there, barely able to stifle a grin. 

“Fair point,” Wilbur admitted. “Are you willing to join us?”

“Yep.” Tubbo nodded. 

“And cut!” The actors jumped a little at Dream’s sudden order. 

Tubbo laughed like he’d been holding it in. “You guys were great!” 

“Really?” Wilbur touched the back of his neck. 

“Yeah!” The shorter boy reassured them.

A thankful smile was on Tommy’s face. “Thanks for, like, coming on stage-” He laughed. His gaze wandered past them and settled on something foreign. A beige couch was to the side of the stage, not only was it there, a man was sleeping on it. He was covered by a blanket, but his head poked out. Dark brown hair was one of his few visible features. “Uh, dream?” Tommy asked.

“Yeah, Tommy?”

“Who’s the guy sleeping back here?”

“Wait-” Sapnap chuckled. “Is George seriousl- WHEHEWHAHAHAHA” Upon looking behind the curtain, Sapnap was in hysterics. He walked over further, but Dream stopped him. 

“Don’t wake him up!!” 

“heHEEHWHAHA”


	6. Wishing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur has some surprising news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sbi family dinner!!

“You guys did really well,” Dream had an excited cadence to his voice. “You have some real potential, Tommy.” 

The young man smiled. “You think so, Dream?” A nervous, but warm feeling washed over him.

“Absolutely.” 

Wilbur nudged his brother with his elbow. “You’re a natural, kid!”

To say Tommy was happy would be quite an understatement. “Thank you, guys!!” 

“We’ll have to think about the actual story a bit more,” The tallest noted. 

“Wait,” Tommy replied. “I like this storyline, you should keep going with it.”

Both Dream and Wilbur squinted. “I kinda had something else in mind…” Rather, Dream squinted behind his mask. “It would generally be about these kids starting a political uprising, but with lots of twists and turns because they have no idea how to start a political uprising. They’d get by just barely a lot of the time an-”

“Waitwaitwaitwait- What if we combined the two?” Wilbur interjected. 

Something clicked in Tommy’s brain. “What if they like spawn a political uprising inside the drug caravan?!”

“Oh my god,” Among the many crass words that Tommy spoke were some great ideas. 

“Actually, you know what, yeah,” Dream nodded. “That would be interesting, sorry I can’t think of a spicier adjective.”

Tommy laughed. “Quite alright.” Now they were cooking with gas. Speaking of cooking, Wilbur glanced at his watch then looked up at Tommy. “Do you have anything in mind for dinner?”

“Can we get McDonald’s?” 

“We have food at home, Tommy.” Replied Wilbur.

The ram frowned. Those chicken nuggets had slipped right through his fingers. Not to mention, he had no idea what they had at home. “We should ask Tubbo, I haven’t the slightest clue what we have at home.” He itched his shoulder through his red sleeve. “HEY TUBBO!”

“Yeah?!”

“What do you want for dinner?!”

“I dunno!”

Tommy made a noise that Wilbur would compare to a dying cow. 

“I’ll just see what we have in the cupboard.” Wilbur decided. “We should probably go soon, is that alright, Dream?”

He zoned back in. “Oh, ‘course.” Dream chuckled a little. “I should probably go wake George up if Sapnap’s giggling hasn’t.” Something about Dream seemed oddly familiar to Tommy, though he couldn't quite place what. Maybe it was just the way he spoke, or his quiet but felt presence. Maybe it was just all around deja vu. Dream waved a quick goodbye before going to Sapnap’s side. The two of them bantered, causing George to stir. 

The three brothers walked out together. Tommy felt the cool air ghost over him as they treaded back to Wilbur’s car. He moved his CD to the side before climbing in. As Wilbur drove, the evening seemed to draw closer and closer. The soft gray clouds were turning blue, and the trees shifted into silhouettes. Tommy felt the urge to say something, yet no words came to him. Instead, he stared out the window, watching cars fly past. When they came home, he could see Phil’s light was on upstairs. Wilbur parked the car in the steep driveway and unlocked the dark oak door.  
He rummaged through the cabinets as Tommy went upstairs as soon as he walked in, carrying Mellohi with him. Their older brother came across a box of fettuccine noodles, and a jar of alfredo sauce. An idea sparked in his mind, now all he needed was some chicken and they’d be se- oh, damn it. There was no chicken in the fridge, only leftover turkey. Whatever, leftover turkey alfredo it was, then. “D’you want any help there?” Tubbo called from the living room. “I’ve got it! Thank you, though.” Answered Wilbur. Sounds from the TV poured into the kitchen. (I guess you could say it’s CANNED LAUGHTER, huh?) Wilbur cringed at his own thought, reaching for a pot in the cabinet under the stovetop. He wondered how long that Phil was going to keep that old ass oven, and not just replace it and the stovetop with a new oven entirely. He salted the tap water after filling the pot with it, like he’d heard to do from public broadcast cooking shows. 

He placed the large black pot on the stovetop and cranked the heat up to 9, before plopping down on the couch beside Tubbo. While he waited for the water to boil, he watched a sit-com rerun with his brother. “Do you like this show or do you think it’s stupid?” Tubbo inquired. Wilbur smirked. “Little of both.” 

Wilbur got up after a few minutes to check on the water. It was boiling like mad, so he dialed the heat back to 6 before dumping the fettucine in. He heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “Hey, Wil!” Philza walked into the kitchen, his sandals clacked against the hardwood floor. “How’ve you been lately?” 

“I’ve been great, dad.” Wilbur pulled him into a hug. Phil’s ginormous wings wrapped around him for a few seconds before they let go. “You?”

“Oh, I’ve been okay. We have a lot to catch up on, yeah?”

The human nodded. “My book’s just sold over a thousand copies, for starters.”  
“That’s wonderful!” The angel said. “I’ll bet all a thousand of ‘em enjoyed it.”

“I hope so.” Wilbur chuckled. “Wait,” A memory hit him like a truck. “You wouldn’t happen to know who’s just got on parole, would you?” 

Phil raised an eyebrow. “Parole?”

“Schlatt.” The name stole his breath and his father’s neutral expression.

The angel’s eyes were wide. “Is he now?” He snapped his fingers. “Damn it, I forgot all about that letter. That explains it.” 

“Are you… concerned?”

“Not really,” replied Phil. “I don’t think he means us any harm, don’t know about Quackity and gang though.” His usual laugh merged with nervousness. He lowered his voice, leaning closer to Wilbur. “He probably misses *them* a whole lot.”

Wilbur’s eyes clouded with moroseness. “I would too.” In an effort to lighten the mood, he followed that up with “Kids seem like a lot of work though.”

Phil wheezed. “You wouldn’t know the half of it, all the time, you and Tommy would find new ways to get into something you weren’t supposed to. I look away for ONE second and you two have already set the kitchen ablaze.” 

“That was one time! And you still don’t trust me around the toaster!”

“Nope.” Phil shook his head. “You won me over, though. When you were little and we’d go to the park, you’d always make sure to say hello to the ducks.”  
“Pssh.” Wilbur maneuvered a wooden spoon to grab a noodle out of the pot. He blew on it furiously so he wouldn’t burn his mouth. Nevertheless, it was still scorching hot, but al dente. He strained the pasta before throwing it back in the pot to add the turkey and alfredo sauce. Along with the main ingredients, he added a dash of pepper from the far reaches of the cabinet. “Schlatt mentioned being served chicken alfredo in prison a lot,” Said Phil. “He called it chicken and white shit in his letters though.” 

“Sounds like him.” Wilbur set out a couple of bowls for the four of them in the house. “Tubbo, Tommy, dinner’s ready!”

Tommy slid down the stair railing, having to scoot along the flat part, and then ending with a smooth slide down. “Thanks, Wilbur!” 

Tubbo entered the kitchen right afterward. “Thank you, Wil.”

Although he wished Techno was there with them, Wilbur enjoyed eating dinner in the company of his family.


	7. Orange and Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i can use semi-colons now! oh also schlatts here

“-And like Wilbur’s friend said I had some real potential, and they’re all working on a story it’s brilliant!!!” Tommy gave Phil an enthusiastic explanation of the creative project he’d become a part of. All the while, Phil made coffee, still trying to wake up. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning. “That’s wonderful, kiddo.” The coffee maker beeped. “Do you want some of this?” 

“Basically the story’s about these kids who- oh, no thank you- own a drug caravan and start a political uprising and eventually their own government!” Tommy grabbed a diet coke from the fridge instead. 

“How would a bunch of young people run a government? They all take political science in high school or somethin’?” 

“That’s the thing,” He took a sip of diet coke. “They have close to no idea what they’re doing and drama ensues.”

The angel stretched his wings, minding the counter. “I see. Have you come up with a name for it?”

“Ehhhhhh,” Tommy shrugged. “Not really, but we’ve settled on a name for the group of drug dealer politicians.”

“Whas that?”

“L’Manburg.” 

“Heh.” Phil smiled at the borderline goofy name. 

***

Wilbur sat upstairs in his old room, letting his feet hang off the side of the bed. Phil had since converted it into a guest room, but the familiar feeling was still there strangely. He stared holes in the window he used to look at when he was feeling lost. He’d just watch cars go past in the night and play somber melodies on his guitar. 

Bzzt. Text from Dream.

Green boy: Hey do you wanna go 2 the theater again today

Wilbur: totally ill see if tommy and tubbo are up for it

Green boy: Thanks wilbie

Wilbur: dont call me that 

Green boy: Wait also

Green boy: Someone new is coming along

Wilbur: who is it

Green boy: Friend of quackitys I think

Green boy: Hes a little interesting but I think itll be fine

Wilbur: i meant like his name

Green boy: Schlatt

Oh shit.

Wilbur: i think i know him

Wilbur: ram hybrid right

Green boy: Thats the one

Wilbur: ill be there in like 2 hours n some change

Green boy: Thank u wilbur love you

Wilbur: ily2

Of all people, Schlatt would be there. He crammed his cellphone into his sweatpant’s pocket and hopped off the bed. Then he looked at himself in the mirror on the back of the door. Just the gray sweatpants and black t-shirt he’d slept in, and messy hair; nothing out of the ordinary. Wilbur opened the door and saw Tubbo traveling back and forth between his room and downstairs. His brother carried a mass of clothes with him. (He must be doing laundry.) 

Wilbur stopped him when he came back up. “Morning, Tubbo.”

“Good morning, Wilbur.” 

“Did Phil ever tell you about his old friend Schlatt?”

Tubbo thought for a moment. “Couple of times, yeah. The one with the drinking problem?”

The human nodded. “Yeah,”  
“Why?”

(Dad still hasn’t told them.) “Oh, no reason.”

“Okay?” The ram looked puzzled. 

“Are you up for going to the theater again today?” Asked Wilbur. 

“Sure!”

***

When Wilbur and gang arrived, there was an unfamiliar car parked outside. It was white with a blue stripe. “Probation” was printed on the side in white letters. Tommy stopped and stared for a moment to peek in. An older looking ram hybrid slid out of the passenger’s seat. Large, curved horns poked out of his dark brown hair, along with mutton chops that curved in the same direction. He wore an unremarkable blue hoodie and faded jeans, his eyes also seemed faded. What was strange however was the fact that his face resembled Tubbo’s, only more callous and benumbed. Tommy noticed he was accompanied by someone else soon after; a lady with purple-tinted hair and prominent eyeliner. 

“If I see any funny business, it’s back to prison with ye,” She grumbled.

The man only scoffed. 

Wilbur’s face went pale. “Schlatt?”  
Schlatt studied him for a moment. Whether he was racking his brain for a response, or who it could be was unclear. “...Wilbur? Is that you?”

“Yeah,” Seeing him in person for the first time in years was unusual, to say the least.

He laughed warmly. “I’d recognize that beanie anywhere.” The tension subsided a bit. 

“Who’s this, then?”

“Oh, she’s my parole officer,” Explained Schlatt. 

Wilbur stifled a laugh. “These two are my brothers,” He pointed at the youngest. “Tommy,” he pointed at the other. “And Tubbo.”

“Phil’s told me a lot about you two.” The ram’s face became pale. 

“Really?” Asked Tubbo. 

“He told me that he’s stuck with ya alright, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Tubbo gave a coy laugh. “I don’t think I would either,”

“I see you’ve arrived, Schlatt.” A calm voice interrupted them. 

“I see you’ve noticed, Dream.” Schlatt turned to face the blonde man in the doorway. “Jesus, do you sleep with that thing on?” He gestured to Dream’s mask.  
“I’ll bet he showers with it on, too.” Tommy chimed in. They both laughed at his remark. Although he couldn’t confirm it, Tommy inferred that Dream was rolling his eyes. 

“Prison didn’t change you a bit,” Dream said. “Come in, I’ll show you around.”

Tommy looked at the parole officer. “Is she coming too?”

“Yeah,” She answered. “You can call me Minx.”

“I like your hair,” Wilbur remarked.

Minx smiled. “I like yours too.”

All of them entered the theater. A man Tommy had never seen before rushed up to Dream. He was a creeper hybrid; you could tell by his empty eyes and green color creeping onto his skin. A crown decorated the darker green hair on his head. “I’m still adjusting some of the functions,” he began. “But for the most part, the gloves are complete.” 

“Thanks, Sam!” Dream said. “Have you met Wilbur?”

Sam shook his head, he glanced over the small crowd, trying to see who looked like a Wilbur. Instead of letting him guess, Wilbur stuck out his hand. “You must be Sam.”

The creeper hybrid shook his hand firmly. “...And you’re Wilbur?”

Wilbur nodded. “Are you one of our actors?”  
“Oh, no,” Sam touched the back of his neck. “I’m handling most of the equipment.” The Redstone stains on his gloves made sense. “Which one of you’s Tommy?” 

“Me.” The person who answered was indeed Tommy. 

“Speaking of equipment, I’ve got something to show you.” He explained. “If that’s cool with you, Dream.” 

“Oh, sure.” 

Tommy followed Sam towards the stage. They climbed the stairs to get on top of the stage, then headed across it. On the far left side of the stage was an old white door; hidden from the audience’s sight by the curtain. Sam twisted the gold doorknob and entered what looked to be the size of a storage closet. Various tables, circuit boards, and electrical equipment took up most of the space. (Not the organized type, I suppose.) Tommy thought. The shorter man reached to the very top of a wooden shelf and retrieved a pair of gloves. “These are for you.”

Not being one to turn down a gift, Tommy said “Thank you.”

“They’re connected to the sound system,” Sam clarified. “Put them on, and bend your…” He thought for a moment. “Left index finger!”

Click.

“Now the right.”

Click.

An accordion melody played over the speakers. “That’s fuckin’ amazing!” Tommy exclaimed.

“The song or the gloves?” Asked Sam.

Tommy laughed. “The gloves, but the song is rather nice.”

“I’m glad you like them.” Sam grinned. “Mess around with them a bit more, there’s more songs and stuff.”

Tommy’s eyes lit up as he began clicking between various tracks. 

First, a catchy synth beat. 

Click!

Second, a foreboding and ominous melody.

Click!

Third, a fast-paced, action-y synth tune.

Click!

Fourth, a calm guitar with a subtle xylophone.

Click!

Fifth, a tuba-sounding track, with a bright melody over it.  
“Sam, I know I’ve just met you,” Tommy kept it on the last one. “But you seriously are the coolest.”

Sam chuckled. “I’m still tweaking it a little, so if there’s any other instrumental you have in mind, let me know.”

“I’ll think about it,” Tommy said. “...Wait, how do you turn the music off?”

“Left thumb twice.”

“Oh.”


	8. Rest In Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> happy valentines day yall!!

After Sam and Tommy had messed around with the “Sound-System gloves” he found himself wandering to the backstage area. (We’ll have to think of a better name for those buggers.) He contemplated the possibilities; however, something else backstage caught his attention. There on the old brown couch was Badboyhalo, who seemed to be deep in thought. His posture was slumped over and his pensive face didn’t look up at Tommy. 

“Ello there, Bad.” 

The demon blinked out of his solemn state. “Oh! Hi, Tommy.”

The ancient couch made a creaking sound, and it made Tommy bounce as he sat down on it. God knows how long it had been sitting there, idly waiting. “Something the matter?”   
Bad sighed. “It’s nothing.” 

A familiar, sparkly face came into the room. “Hi, Bad! Hey, Tommy-” Skeppy said. “Hold on, I’ll be right back.”

“Hey, Skep!”

“Hi Skeppy, bye Skeppy.” The blonde turned back to the charcoal-skinned creature right after he left. “It’s gotta be something.”

He covered his face with his claws. “You just saw him.” 

“You’re not happy with ‘im?” Tommy inquired. 

“No, it’s not that; quite the opposite actually,”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I’MINLOVEWITHHIMBUTIHAVENOIDEAHOWTOTELLHIMANDI’MSCAREDWHATIFHESAYSNOANDTHINKSOFMEDIFFERENTANDTHEN-”

“Waitwaitwait,” Tommy interrupted him. “You aren’t already dating?”

Bad’s panic subsided with disbelief, “What?! -No!” 

Tommy burst into laughter, right as Skeppy walked back into the room. 

“What’s so funny?” The diamond man asked.

“NOTHING-” Shouted the two of them in unison, but with two entirely different tones. 

“...Alright then?”

Bad yawned, then made an effort to change the subject. “I might be leaving soon, I’m hungry.”

“What were you thinking?” Skeppy inquired. “Like, food, I mean.”

The demon shrugged. “I dunno, maybe pizza.”

Skeppy whipped out his phone. “I can order one here,” He punched in the password numbers. “What kind do you want?”

Bad laughed. “No, you don’t have to do that. I’ll get one on the way home.”

“No no, let me do this-”

“SkEPPY NO-”

He wouldn’t budge on this. “What kind do you want?”

“I guess just like pepperoni?”

“So you want me to order it for you?!” There was a shit-eating grin on his face that Tommy would grow accustomed to throughout being witness to his antics. 

Bad jumped off of the couch. “No, nonono-heh-okay-” He fidgeted with the sleeve of his cloak. “If it makes you feel better, then sure. We can share!”

“Alright, how many?”

“What?”

“How many pizzas?” He repeated. 

“Pfft,” If Bad had pupils, he’d be rolling them. “One-hundred?”

“Got it.”

“I was kidding, you muffinhead,” Bad laughed. 

Skeppy took that as a challenge. “Oh, you think I won’t?” He raised his eyebrows. 

“Nope.” The demon said curtly. He booped him on the nose.

***

The next hour that followed was pure chaos. A delivery boy had come with an armful of pizza boxes and informed Wilbur they’d be bringing more. 

Skeppy giggled with delight as Wilbur carried a stack of pizza so tall that it blocked his peripheral vision. “What did you do?!” He exclaimed behind the wall of boxes. They fell with a thud as he set them down on the hardwood floor. Bad looked mortified. “Oh my goodness…” This was his fault, Wilbur gathered. 

“Bad, what in the absolute FUCK-”

“Language!”

“-HAVE YOU DONE?”

“He underestimated Skeppy.” Explained Tommy. 

“That explains it,” Said Tubbo, bringing over another metric fuck ton of pizza. Skeppy laughed like a hyena as Bad shook him by the shoulders. “You are, by FAR, the worst person,”

“You know you love me.” 

Bad sighed. “I do.”

A plan hatched in Tommy’s noggin. As Skeppy went to help the others bring in more pizza, he gestured Bad farther away from everyone. “Bad, I have a brilliant idea,” He said. “Wait right here a minute.” A few moments later he came back with a pair of gloves. “Have I told you ‘bout these?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Sam made them for me! They connect to the sound system and the like so when I activate certain buttons in the fingers, it puts on music. They can change tracks and everything!”  
Bad looked at them with wonder. “Ooo!”

“So I was thinking,” He continued. “What if you ask Skeppy out, and I play a song over the sound system to set the mood?”

“That’s a great idea, Tommy! What song, though?”

Tommy laughed. “I was hoping you’d decide that.”

The demon seemed flustered. “I know this sounds really lame but…”

“I’m sure it’s not that lame.”

“...Close to You by The Carpenters?”

The blonde burst out laughing, making his friend more mortified than he already had been. “I’ll see what I can swing, bruv.”

“Thanks, Tommy. I owe you one.” Nevertheless, the demon smiled. 

They joined the group again to see what was up. “What are we going to do with all this pizza?” Tubbo laughed. 

“I guess I just bought everyone dinner-” Skeppy was still grinning ear to ear.

“Ah damn it,” Said Tubbo, peeking inside one of the boxes. “They’re all thin crust.” Damn it indeed, the thin crust was the catch. 

“Pizza is pizza.” Fundy shrugged. Most of the actors all gathered around in a circle, talking and laughing as they ate the mediocre Italian food. A few of them were sitting on the edge of the stage instead, them being Wilbur, Tubbo, Tommy, Bad, and Skeppy.

“I still can’t believe you,” Bad said between bites. 

Skeppy giggled. “Me neither.”


	9. Close to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bit of a shorter one!! thank you all so much for 100+ kudos!!

A young man cursed under his breath. “Shitshitshit-” He nabbed one of the many pizza boxes, haring away from the scene. A test of his luck to be sure, but hopefully, no one saw him. The stepladder almost caught on his converse shoe as he climbed. He propped open the wooden attic door and slid the pizza box through the opening. Then, he pushed himself up into the attic. At once, he took a large breath. This was the biggest heist he pulled yet! He adjusted the crown sitting atop his black and white head as well as his sitting position. 

He took a bite of room temperature pizza. The thin crust wouldn’t have been his first choice, but the pepperoni was appreciated. Besides, he’d been starved for a day and a half; he couldn’t complain. His appetite was ravenous. 

After he finished eating, he skulked over to the farthest corner of the space. The wooden floorboards creaked beneath his feet as he peered down through the largest crack in them. Voices from below permeated the dusty floor. 

“GET HIM!! GET HIM, HE THINKS HE CAN TAKE US?!” Even though he wasn’t in his line of sight, he recognized the black-haired one’s voice. Their voices were starting to register in his memory. 

The blonde one (who looked like a deer hybrid to him) ran across the stage. “HE’S RETREATED! YES!!” 

“Give me my stuff back!” The masked one barked. 

“COME AND GET IT, BITCH!” 

They looked like they were having fun. He wished he could join them, though he wouldn’t risk being caught by the masked one. What was his name again? Drew? No, that wasn’t it, it was something weird. 

“Watch out!”

“He has escaped, for now, we have to fallback, Tommy.”

“UH OH UH OH UH OH-” Three more pairs of feet ran across the stage. 

“LET’S GET ‘EM-there’s Dream!” Dream! That was it. Kind of strange, but pretty nonetheless. He continued watching what he could from the crack in the floor before a yawn snuck upon him. He was getting tired, it had been a good while since he had a decent sleep. They’d be there tomorrow, he presumed before walking over to his cardboard mattress. Then he laid down on his side and draped his newspaper comforter over his lanky form. 

***

His fragile sleep was broken by a voice from the backstage area.

“Alright, I’ve got everything ready,” Tommy announced. 

A lump welled up in Bad’s throat. “Oh my goodness…”

A pep-talk was in order, Tommy figured. “You’ve got this, bbh!” He said. “If there’s anyone I know who’s romantic, it’s you-well, that could be because I don’t know that many romantic people but-you’ve still got this!”

His nerves settled down a little. “Thanks, Tommy.” The demon headed over to the now vacant stage. Vacant, except for one person. “Hey, Skeppy.”

Skeppy looked up. “Oh, hey, Bad. I was gonna leave soon, what’s up?”

“I-uh-” Music flowed in from the sound system. “-Have something to tell you.”

His smile became shy. “Yeah?” (Why do birds suddenly appear,)

“I…” (Every time you are near? Just like me,) “Iloveyou-”

Skeppy blinked. “Wait, sorry I couldn’t hear you.” (They long to be,)

He couldn’t do it. “Oh! I just wanted to know if you were free later.”

(Close to you. Why do stars fall down from the sky?)

“Oh, sure!” (Every time you walk by?) “Like when?”  
Bad exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Ah, I dunno. I'm free tomorrow if that’s cool?” (Just like me, they long to be)

“Yeah, I’m free! Text you when I get home.” He stepped down from the stage. “Love you.”

(Close to you)

“Love you too!” He stood and watched as Skeppy walked out the door. As soon as he closed the door, he felt a pair of hands grab him by the shoulders.

“YOU FUCKING PUSSY-” Exclaimed Tommy. 

“Language!” It caught the demon off guard. “I’ll tell him, just-I couldn’t!”

“He must’ve been really confused as to why the Carpenters were playing.” Tommy laughed. “Still though, you’re a quivering pussy.”

Bad shook his head. “I will tell him tomorrow.” 

The ram looked doubtful. “If you say so.”

“I will!” Bbh protested. “Wilbur’s probably thinking about leaving you behind, muffinhead.” 

“Oh, shit-thanks for reminding me-” Tommy took off running for the door that Skeppy had gone out a few moments before. “I’ll catch you later!” He called. 

“Bye, Tommy!” A loud slam echoed throughout the theater. Bad sighed, figuring he should be heading home himself by now.


	10. Gather My Body When It Rains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IM CRYING

A cold breeze brushed past Quackity as he stood outside. He glanced at cars leaving the area. There were only three left. He saw Tommy rush into one of them and slam the door. Only two remained now that Wilbur had driven away. Not long after, Badboyhalo waved to him as he stepped inside his car. He waved back with a faint smile, thinking of ways to get on his nerves at later dates. 

“Hey, Quackity.” Who was next to him then was a surprise; Schlatt. 

He almost jumped at the sight. “Well look what the cat dragged in,” 

Schlatt smirked, he seemed docile. “Been a while, huh?” Which was odd considering past events. “Look uh, can I get a ride?” 

“Yeah,” Quackity adjusted his beanie. “We can catch up.”

“Sounds good.” Replied Schlatt. At once the two hopped inside the car. The radio was blaring as soon as Quackity started the car, prompting him to turn it down quickly. Awkward silence filled the space between them before Schlatt broke it. “We can skip the small talk, you know.”

Quackity smirked, turning the radio back up a touch. “Thank fuck.”

“They were pretty rough on me in the slammer.”

“Yeah, tell me stories about tHE CAN.” Quackity giggled. 

“So there was this one methhead, good pal of mine by the end but anyway,” Began the ram. “How he got incarcerated is a touching story.”

“Go on.”

“He was drivin’ down the road and all of a sudden he sees a bike comin’ at him, and he couldn’t really remember what happened right after because he blacked out around that time.” Schlatt began fumbling in his jean pockets. “And so he wakes up on the side of the road, and he’s hungry so he finds a McDonald’s drive-thru window.” It seemed he couldn’t find whatever he was fumbling for. “He pulls up to the window to pay and the lady goes ‘Sir, there’s...something in the back of your truck.’ and he looks back and sees a mangled corpse, motorcycle, and all. And he says ‘Huh, that’s what was makin’ that sound.’ By the time he got his fucking burger though, the police were there.”

All Quackity could do was laugh. “Oh my god-”

“I got another one-alright, alright.” He began laughing too. “One of the cooks was this guy they called Crazy Bob. He would shit his pants often, he actually got fired twice for shitting his pants, but anyway he was in prison for murdering his wife and he cut off all her limbs but her head was never found.” 

“Mhm,”

“And if you ask him ‘So Bob where the fuck is her head’ he will not tell you.” He finished. 

The human smiled. “Thanks for telling those.” 

“Ah, it’s nothin’.” He popped open the glove box. “You got a lighter in this bitch?”

“Already?” Asked Quackity, astounded. “And I thought you were getting clean.”

Schlatt sneered. “Calm down, it’s just weed.”

That didn’t shake the man’s concern. “A millisecond after you got out? From who?”

“We can share if you get off my case.” He proposed. “Ponk gave me the good shit.”

A tempting offer. “Alright.” Too tempting. 

They arrived at Schlatt’s apartment. It was inside a building that was shorter than most apartment buildings, white, and a little run-down looking. When they both got in the elevator, it creaked and rattled while carrying them up to the third floor. 327 was Schlatt’s apartment number, as displayed by a brass plate on the door. Schlatt flopped down on the couch. “There’s some water in the fridge if you’re dehydrated.” He informed quackity. 

“You know me well.” Quackity opened the white fridge, noticing the plastic water bottles on the top shelf. There were only three other things in the fridge: a jar with a single pickled egg, romaine lettuce, and a package of string cheese. He grabbed a bottle of water and closed the fridge with a clunk. He glanced at the counter beside the fridge, seeing something out of place. An old picture of two kids, one of them had brown hair, the other blonde. Both of them had ears and were standing in a metal sink, carefree as most little kids. Quackity returned to the living room with the picture in one hand and a water bottle in the other. He set the picture down on the coffee table, looking confused. “Who’s in the picture?”

No response at first, Schlatt’s lip only quivered. In an attempt not to cry, he swallowed. “My kids.”

Quackity’s face went pale. “You never told me you had kids.”

The attempt failed, as Schlatt burst into tears. “I’m so fucking alone-” He covered his face with his hands.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s okay.” The younger pulled him into a hug. “You’re not alone, I’ll be here until we’re both six feet underground.” They just sat there for a moment, as he held his shaking friend. 

“I’m going to die alone, Quackity.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I had to give them to Phil, I couldn’t-they were safer with him.”

“Tommy and Tubbo?!”

“I think it was the right thing, but oh my god I miss them everyday…” He choked on a sob. 

Quackity’s grip became tighter. “It’s okay, big guy. Let it out.”

And he did.


	11. Beanie Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this took a long time lol but I have two chapters ready!!

After Schlatt got every tear out of his system, he sat there drained like a bone-dry sponge. Quackity looked at him pensively. (I can’t just leave him here, what if he starts drinking? Or worse?) Almost as if reading his mind, Schlatt’s expression told him (You’re overthinking it.)

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” Quackity asked.

Schlatt said “Sure.” He opened the laptop on his coffee table and began digging through pirated files. His friend burst into laughter mid-click. “What?”

“You pirated Paul Blart: Mall C-HEHWHWAHAHAHA-”

“Yeah!” Schlatt said.

The shorter man reeled. “Let’s fucking watch Paul Blart-” He leaned on the other’s shoulder. The movie was horrible in quality, both in audio and visuals. Nonetheless, they enjoyed the rest of their evening, talking and laughing. It was good to be carefree again, at least for the time being. Several hours later Quackity heard a faint snoring; evidently, Schlatt had fallen asleep. Not long after, he fell asleep too. 

The sound of a microwave beeping woke him. Quackity realized that Schlatt was absent soon after he woke up scrunched on the linen couch. His beanie was still on his head, albeit needing to be repositioned. He adjusted it while still laying down. 

“Morning, sleepyhead.” A mug clinked as it was set down on the table. 

“Hey,” Quackity rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He peered into the mug, it looked like some kind of make-shift ramen. Schlatt noticed how skeptically he eyed it. “It tastes better than it looks, trust me.”

He picked a tiny bite up with the fork and ate it. “How do you make this stuff?” His eyes widened in surprise. 

“Told ya,” Said Schlatt. “You take an instant noodle base, some soy sauce, a pinch of sugar, and whatever you can find in the cabinet that seems right, then put it in the microwave until it looks like the scene in Gremlins.”

Quackity laughed. After they finished breakfast, Schlatt began fumbling around in the cabinets for a different reason then breakfast. “Fuck, I think I lost my lighter.”

“I saw a dollar store around here, it probably has some.”

“You don’t mind if I go down there?”

“Nah, I’ll come with. I need an energy drink anyways.”

After going down the rumbling elevator, the two walked around the block to find the dollar store. They were in luck, as it only took them a couple of minutes to stumble across. 

The pair split up inside, as they were looking for two entirely different things: an energy drink and peace of mind, a lighter, and the will to live. As Quackity perused the cold beverages section he heard another pair. 

“Well, that’s fuckin’ stupid.”

“Language, Skeppy!”

He immediately realized whose company he was in. Quackity scanned the area, then drifted into the aisle in front of the drink coolers. Sure enough, Skeppy and Bbh were smack in the middle of the stationary section. Shiny stickers caught Bad’s attention, he was eyeing them intently. Perhaps that was why he liked Skeppy’s eyes so much; they sparkled like no other.

“Why hello there.” Quackity leaned against the shelves in an attempt to be smooth, but the decorative erasers he knocked over ruined said attempt. 

Bad giggled. “Hey.”

“Hey, dude!” The gem person said. 

“Hey Big Q, who are these chumps?” Schlatt’s sudden appearance made him jump. 

So much for being smooth. “Oh, this is Skeppy,” He pointed at the shorter man. “And this is Bad.” And then the demon.

“Hey Big Q, who’s this chump?” Skeppy retorted, squinting his eyes.

Bad said “Relax, gentlemen. We can all be chumps.”

“Have you not met Schlatt before?”

“Should I?”

Schlatt stepped closer. “Maybe.”

The human examined Schlatt’s hands. “Uh, we got what we were looking for, we should head back.”

“No rush.” He shrugged, his expression was relaxed yet daunting at the same time. 

(Goddammit, give me a break) “Dude come on-” He grabbed the ram’s hand and tugged him out of the aisle. “What the hell is your deal?!”

“I can handle myself, you know.”

Quackity scoffed. “Clearly not.”

Schlatt dismissed the argument by rolling his eyes, but thoughts began to stir in his head seconds later. (No wonder why they’re gonna leave me, I’m so hard to get along with; such a fucking jerk. I could die and they’d probably be better off.)

Skeppy turned to Bad. “What was his problem?”

“Don’t take it personally, Skep.” Bad’s eyes lit up and he pointed at a sticker sheet. “They have muffin stickers!!”

He wheezed. “You aRE A CHILD-”

“NO, I’M 25 IN HUMAN YEARS WE’VE BEEN OVER THIS”

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN HUMAN YEARS IT’S EXACTLY THE SAME NUMBER”

“At least I’m not 4 feet tall.”

“At least I’m not bald.”

Laughter erupted between them, and as it fizzled out Bad just gazed into his eyes for a moment. He then realized he’d been gazing for longer than he should’ve and looked back at the floor. He thought of his promise to Tommy, but it only made him more uneasy. Could Tommy have forgotten about it at this point? The clash between brilliant teal and cruddy stone floor made him hope so. 

Speaking of Tommy, he was occupied with something else; improv. “A ONE MAN SHOWDOWN, YOU SON OF A BITCH, YOU SELF-OBSESSED GREEN BASTARD-” He shouted from the far left side of the stage at Dream who was on the far right.

Wilbur was standing in the center. “Tommy, your passion will get you nowhere-”

“YOU SCHEWPID GREEN BASTARD I-” The comment made him stop and reflect for a second, so he looked at the ground.

“We may have had our agreements, Dream, but I promise you this man does not speak for me, alright?”

Tommy looked back up and pointed at Dream with theatrical flair. “A one-on-one bow duel for L’manberg, me versus you.”

The tallest paced over to his brother. “Tommy, we need you alive-”

“Wilbur, Wilbur-we’ve got to do it, we’ve got to do this.”

Tubbo was sitting on one of those metal foldable chairs watching them, completely absorbed. Despite Wilbur and Big Q being glaring exceptions to this rule, he took off his beanie as it was a little weird to be wearing one in a fully ventilated space. A little drafty, sure, but the gray beanie Wilbur had given him for Christmas was inessential. He set it down on the foldable table beside him, which the main purpose was for them to set extra props on. 

“Your life is worth more than the revolution.” Wilbur set his hand on Tommy’s shoulder.

The blonde threw his hands up. “Look around us, alright. For the independence!”

They gave each other a quick nod and Wilbur backed away. “This man does not speak for me Dream,” He sighed as he reiterated. “But if this is something you’re willing to do, then I will let it happen.”

The scene was about to reach its climax, but before it could Tubbo noticed something out of the corner of his eye. A shadowy hand reached out and snatched his beanie right off the table. He shot up to then see a whole shadowy figure making a break for backstage. Even though he didn’t comprehend what was happening he gave chase. The floorboards creaked with reckless abandon as he ran forward. The figure was adorned with a suit and a shiny, golden thing, but that was all he could make out before it barreled past the narrow hallway beside the stage. 

“Hey!” Shouted Tubbo. He closed in on them backstage, but they were already making their way up the stepladder and clawed the attic entrance open. There was an attempt to slow Tubbo down by kicking the ladder down with their foot, but it only gave them a couple of seconds before Tubbo burst into the attic. Once he stumbled back to his feet he caught the beanie thief, grabbing their arm that clasped it. He caught a look at the assailant’s face: black and white skin split down the middle, with two-toned eyes to match. The green and red eyes made contact with his blue ones which made the taller panic and shriek an enderman noise. The shriek was unpleasant, but his claws were even more so; they shook the ram off, clawing his cheek in the process. 

Tubbo stumbled to the ground and held the side of his face. “Ow-!” Blood welled underneath his hand. 

The enderman-like man hyperventilated and held his face too, though it was both sides of it. “I’m sorry-I’m so sorry I didn’t-”

The boy on the floor looked around the space. An empty pizza box and newspapers were strewn across the floor, and now he was too. His ears began to ring as another person’s memories infiltrated his mind. They were very fuzzy in the visual and auditory department, he could hear garbled voices from below. He peered through a crack in the floorboards, for he could see people running across the stage. Sapnap and Tommy were two of them. How long had this guy been here?

His eyes cracked open again to see the guy in question standing over him. “...are you-”

“Who are you?!” The question seemed to come out like a reflex. 

“I-” He grumbled and hid his face behind his hands. “I don’t even know who you are and I’ve already hurt you-”

Tubbo sat up. “Well in your defense, I probably scared you really bad.” He chuckled. “D’you have a name?”

The taller slid down his hands to reveal his eyes again, though they didn’t make contact. “Okay, I know this sounds really, REALLY, questionable, but… I don’t remember.”

“You… don’t remember?”

“No, I can’t remember much at all I’m afraid.” He sat down next to the ram. “I lost my memory and ran up here, whatever you do, do NOT tell him I’m up here.”

“Tell who?”

“The green one-is it like Draper or something?”

Tubbo burst out laughing. “PFFF-DO YOU MEAN DREAM?”

He started talking with his hands. “YEAH THAT ONE-PFHEHEAHA-” The other’s giggling was contagious. “But yeah, don’t tell him I’m here. Or anyone else for that matter.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t… think I’m ready for people… they’re going to start asking a bunch of questions I can’t answer-and just augh-I’m trying to figure myself out first. I don’t need a bunch of other people trying to do that when I haven’t.” He rambled and fidgeted with a bunch of colorful strings on his fingers.

“I get it,” His crimson-stained hand pointed at the clean ones. “What are those for, exactly?”

“Oh, they’re like reminders! Like you look at ‘em and you know what they were for.”

The ram pointed at a bright green one. “What’s this one for?”

He made a frustrated face. “...Damn it, I can’t remember.”

They burst out laughing yet again. The tall one was still holding the beanie. “You can have that if you really want it,” Said Tubbo. “Just… promise me you won’t steal anymore, okay?”

“Really?” His voice tilted with disbelief. 

“Yeah, you promise?”

“I promise.”

“I should get back to the others, they’re probably wondering where I’ve gone,” Tubbo said. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell them you’re up here.”

The taller nodded. “Wait!”

The ram whipped back around. “Hm?”

“What’s your name? Oh, and sorry about the face thing.”

“Tubbo, and don’t worry about it.”

“Tubbo.” He repeated, smiling. “Bye.”

The boy smiled back. “Bye.” He climbed down onto the stepladder. He wandered back through the narrow brick hallway, but as he was about to exit, his brothers were blocking his path.

“Where the hell did you go?” Asked Tommy. “Are you alright?!” He touched the side of his face.

“What happened to your cheek?!” Wilbur bent down a little.

Tubbo shook his head. “One question at a time!!”

“Okay,” Wilbur inhaled. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.”

“What happened?” He followed up. 

Tubbo hesitated for a moment. “...There was… a HONEY BADGER!” He exclaimed. “And it stole the beanie you gave me!”

Wilbur squinted. “...Alright-Do you want an ice pack?”

“Yes, please.” Score! It worked, albeit awkwardly.


	12. Downhill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: suicide attempt, drug use mention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i drafted this a lot more than the other chapters and the title is from the song "Downhill" by lincoln

After being at the theater for most of the afternoon, Eret asked Quackity if he wanted to hang out. It had been an eventful performance, so it was nice to sit back for a little while on the couch. Video game sound effects blipped from Eret’s television screen as they both clicked button combinations as fast as their post-weed smoking haze would let them. The fighting game they were playing was getting intense! 

“Sometimes I do this thing where I get high and wander around and see where I end up.”

“That sounds potentially very dangerous.” Replied Eret. They were now getting the upper hand, health bar-wise, but Quackity didn’t seem fazed. 

“S’what makes it fun.” He giggled. His phone rang in his jean pocket, prompting him to pick it up. “Hello?”

There was faint sniffling on the other side. “Hey Quackity.”

“Schlatt?” He recognized the voice immediately. “Is everything alright man?” 

“I just wanted to tell you, it was good to hang out with you for the last time yesterday. I don’t think I would’ve wanted to spend it with anyone else.”

For a moment he was stone-cold sober, so his eyes shot wide open. “Last time? What do you mean last time?!”

“They can’t all leave me if I leave them first-I’m finally jumping.” Calmness blistered in his voice. “Goodbye. I love you more than I could ever put into words.”

“Schlatt, no, please man, come on-” He choked out.

“You taught me what friendship meant. Goodbye.”

The abundance of tears made it hard to breathe. “Nonono-stop, don’t go-” 

No reply; the man had hung up on him in the middle of his plea. 

Eret shot up. “What’s going on?” Their glasses tilted from the quick movement, so they adjusted them.

“It’s Schlatt- I need to call Phil-” Quackity scrambled to punch in Phil’s number, but his fingers were too shaky. Then Eret grabbed his phone and dialed Phil for him. “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.” They bit their lip.

He paced around waiting for an answer. “Come on... pick up, pick up-”

“Ello?”

“Phil I need you to go to Schlatt’s apartment.”

“Why?” 

“Schlatt called me and said he was going to jump off the roof and I don’t know what to do-we could try and talk him down I don’t know I just don’t know-”

“Quackity, breathe,” Phil said. “I’ll be right there, just breathe.”

“Bye, Phil.” 

“Bye.”

*** 

Wilbur’s phone buzzed. His screen lit up with Schlatt’s caller id. “Hello?”

“H-ey Wilbur,” Schlatt’s voice was breaking. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Are you alright?” 

“You’re a good kid Wilbur, I never got around to telling ya.”

“Thank you, but are you feeling okay?”

“At least I got to see you grow up, huh?” Schlatt laughed through tears. “That’s longer than I thought I’d have, to be honest.”

His heart sank. “Schlatt, you aren’t doing anything bad, are you?”

The human’s words dissolved like stevia in coffee. “You were the most successful boy I ever knew. And I know you’ll do even greater things, even though I won’t be able to see ‘em.” 

“Wait, no-”

“Goodbye, Wilbur.”

“No, no, hey-” 

Deafening silence fell upon his ears. Like the sound waves in the air, he just stood there frozen.

***

Quackity dashed up the fire escape and launched himself onto the roof. He caught Schlatt just standing there, gazing at the drop below. He looked so small like that, isolated and distant literally and figuratively. 

“Hey!”

Schlatt whipped around, he looked quite scared in all honesty. As Quackity lunged towards him, he just stood there, glassy-eyed. He embraced him with a loose grip. The shorter man hugged him back much tighter; he couldn’t let go, not now. But Schlatt struggled away, and the force caused Quackity to stumble back. All he could do was watch as his friend leaped backward with no close ground to catch him.

“NO!” He shrieked into the night air.

Schlatt clamped his eyes shut, waiting to hit the ground. Then something grabbed his shoulders. 

“What the-?” His eyes shot open to meet a pair of blue ones. “Phil!” The wind blew through his hair, the same wind that blew through the angel’s feathers. Bright lights from the city below reflected in the azure. “You stupid fuck, let me fall!”

“It isn’t your time yet, friend.” 

“Why the hell not?!”

“I can tell there’s a soul still kickin’ around in there.” Phil flapped his wings, bringing them up through the clouds. 

Schlatt shook his head at the barren, grassy plains they were now above. “It’s a rotten soul.”

“You’re not a bad person, Jay. You’ve made some poor choices, for sure, but there’s still a warm heart in your chest.”

He laughed. “Don’t *Jay* me, wiseass.”

Phil laughed back. “And a sharp tongue in yer mouth.”

The brunette sighed. “I love ya, Phil, and don’t you forget it.”

“I won’t.” 

They glided back down to the apartment building. Some of the distant lights disappeared under rolling hills and trees when they landed. As soon as Schlatt’s feet hit the ground, Quackity ran over and tackled him into a hug. “ACK-!”

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

Eret smiled with relief. “I’m so glad you’re okay Schlatt. I’ve got to get home soon, but call me any time, alright?” They waved.

“Y-eah, I’ll catch you later, dude-!” He replied as clear as he could, as Quackity’s vice-grip hug flattened his lungs. 

Phil skipped over to Eret. “Need a lift?” His fluffy wings unfolded. 

“That’d be great, actually.” They lifted their arms for easier access. “I owe you way more than one, huh?”

Phil chuckled, lifting Eret off the ground like a brick. “Ah, don’t worry ‘bout it. I like helping people n’ shit.”

“Remind me how you can do this so easily?!” Eret’s voice was faded slightly by the wind when they took off.

“Four kids meant a lot of practice.”

“Ah.”


	13. Ranboo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *george voice* pop off

The others seemed distracted, so Tubbo grabbed his backpack and slipped backstage. He traced his fingers on the vine-covered bricks as he walked, and then he headed up the stepladder with quiet feet. (As quiet as they could be, anyway.) 

“Gah!!” 

Tubbo laughed as he heard the enderman’s frantic footsteps making the floorboards creak. “It’s just me.” Assured the ram. “I’ve brought you some food.”

He looked at the backpack, now knowing what it contained. “Thank you so much!” The taller had to bend down to pull him into a quick hug. The gray beanie was on his head now instead of the crown. 

“You’re welcome.” Tubbo smiled, then unzipped the largest pocket of the light blue backpack. He rummaged through it because he had some school papers shoved in there and pulled out 3 granola bars. “This was the most proper nutrition I could really find.”

He held up his hands. “No, no, don’t worry about that, it’s enough that you just came back.” The wrappers were green and crinkled in his hands when he opened one. “I’ve come up with a name.” The enderman said through a mouth of granola.

“Lay it on me.”

“Ranboo.”

The shorter boy zipped his backpack up. “How’d you come up with Ranboo?”

“In all honesty, I kinda just started putting syllables together.” As soon as he finished the first granola bar, he opened a second. 

Tubbo nodded. “Suits you, I guess.”

Then Ranboo opened the third and began shoving it in his oddly shaped mouth. Dull fangs (were they fangs?) poked out. 

“Pace yourself, man-” The ram stifled a laugh. 

Their little scene was interrupted by what would prepare another one, in the story that was. “AAAH-” Tommy looked like he was thrown into the minecart prop Sapnap wheeled him around in by the way he was positioned. The black-haired man ferried him like he was a paramedic, with the minecart being the stretcher and Tommy being the wounded. Except he had a maniacal grin on his face and said “Works great, Sam!”

Sam chuckled. “Good to hear.” Whenever he invented something, he could now count on the actors to test it out. 

Wilbur caught the child-containing minecart when Sapnap let go of it. “My turn!” 

“STOP!” Shrieked Tommy. His pleas fell on deaf ears as his brother rocketed him down the stage’s steps. “This is so Tommyphobic-” 

Sapnap keeled over laughing while Wilbur’s phone began to ring. “hAHHEHE-h-hello?”

“Hey, Wilbur.” The low, gravelly voice said.

“Hi, Techno!” 

“What’s up?”

“Just bullying Tommy, nothing much.”

“Uhhh so I’m like in town right now and…”

“Oh, you coming to visit?”

“For a little while, yeah. Still kinda busy.” 

“You’ll be at mum and dad’s, yeah?”

“Yep. Love ya, bye.”

“Love you too, bye.” The brief phone call ended and Wilbur slid his phone back into his pocket. Although Techno’s responses were curt, he knew he didn’t mean to be cold or anything; his brother just had difficulty with phone calls. Communication, in general, was something Techno never excelled at despite going to college for an English major. 

Out of the corner of his eye Wilbur noticed Sapnap propping the door open with one of the foldable metal chairs. The black-haired man threw a thick, new-looking piece of rope over his shoulder. Right afterward, he rolled a tire that had seen much better days past the open doorway. Wilbur hopped down from the stage and followed him outside.

Sapnap rolled the tire on the downwards incline beside the building. It was steep enough for the tire to roll on its own, so he let go of it and ran alongside it. He stopped at the humongous tree then whipped around to catch the tire. The worn rubber hit his hands with a dull thump. Then he looked up, noticing Wilbur making his way down the incline. 

The brunette said “Hey.”

“Yo.”

“You making a tire swing?”

“No, I’m stealing a tire and hanging whoever tries to stop me,” Sapnap replied sarcastically. 

Wilbur chuckled. “You need any help?”

“Ah, I got it.” He threw the rope over a tree branch obscured by the leaves blowing leisurely in the wind. “Thank you, though!” Sapnap hoisted up the tire, making a weird hodgepodge of a knot around it. 

“Tell me something, have you ever seen Dream’s face?” Asked Wilbur.

The haphazard knot tying stopped for a moment. “A couple times, why?”

The other shrugged. “M’ just… curious.”

“He has a metric fuck ton of freckles,” He closed his eyes smiling, and then opened them to look back at Wilbur. “And these green eyes, the type of eyes that make you feel like you two are the only people in the whole world.” His burn-scarred face was nothing short of wistful. 

Now Wilbur was even more curious. 

“He also has a scar on his nose like this,” Sapnap traced his finger in a horizontal line near the very top of his nose. “I don’t think that’s why he wears a mask, though.”

An image of Dream began to construct in his head. Perhaps his face was like a profound speech and the scar was like a stammer right in the middle. At least, that’s what Wilbur figured.


	14. There Is Very Little Left of Me and It's Never Coming Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is kind of rushed in the middle I am so sorry

The drive to his father’s house was a long one for Technoblade. All of the houses he passed by gradually faded from huge, lumbering apartments to modest homes sitting on viridian grass that blew in the wind. One of the empty driveways had a basketball hoop with no net tacked on the garage. It reminded him that everyone living in these houses had lives just as complex as his.

Almost as if on cue, his audio-book was drawing to a close when he parked in front of Phil’s house. He grabbed his phone and switched the engine off. The low hum disappeared and he was left with silence until he knocked on the door.

“Techno!” Phil opened the door to greet him. “It’s been so long, how’ve you been, son?”

“Heyyy, dad! I’m alright.” A lie. Beneath his calm, smiling face was bubbling anxiety. “Sorry I haven’t been calling much.”

They both headed inside. “That’s okie, I know ye have a hard time with phone calls.” There was no doubt they were the only two home; the house would’ve been way less quiet had the kids been there.

He guessed it was nice though, to not hear yelling and sprinting across the house. Instead of saying something he fidgeted with a strand of his pink hair. He'd neglected to braid it, so it just fell over his shoulders.

“Having fun at college?” There it was. That question took many forms, but it all came down to the same thing; has the crippling pressure of school gotten to you yet?

Of course, there was only one answer he could give. “Yep! Tons of meaningful life experiences and nutty professors.”

“You haven’t tried any hard drugs, have you?” Phil’s brows furrowed. 

“What?! No??”

The angel threw his head back in laughter. “I’m only joking-”

“Should I have??”

“NO-” He wheezed. “I jus’ knew some interesting characters when I was your age.”

The piglin hybrid sat down on one of the wooden chairs around the table. The chairs all had tall legs like Tommy and Wilbur, so they had no trouble with them when they were younger. For Techno and (more so) Tubbo it was a different story. “Do tell.”

“When Schlatt and I shared a dorm room there was one time where he was changing the lightbulb and it SHOCKED ‘em,” Phil told him. “He fell over, and I rushed over to ‘em and I was like ‘Holy shit! Are ye okay?’ and he just looked at me real disgruntled and said ‘that didn’t give me superpowers.’” 

Techno chuckled. There was the sound of the front door opening, so he looked up. The quiet of the house was disrupted as three other people made their way inside. 

“Ello there!” Wilbur said as he buried his hands in the pockets of his long coat. 

The piglin hybrid nodded. “Heeeeyyyy Wilbur, Tubbo, Tommy.”

“Good to see you, big man!” Tubbo beamed. 

“Well if it isn’t The Blade himself.” Tommy cracked a smile. 

‘The Blade’ scoffed. “Dad, there’s a rat in your kitchen,” He pointed at the blonde. “And it’s talking to me.”

“THAS FUCKIN’ HYBRID-IST YOU SICK BASTARD-”

“Tommy, I am a hybrid-”

Laughter erupted between all of them, and then it hit Techno that damn, did it feel good to be home again. The feeling was cut short though when Wilbur asked “How long can you stay? I know you’re busy n’ all,” A reminder that pulled him out of home and right back into grueling college. Images flashed through his brain of all the assignments he needed to catch up on, the ones he’d left strewn across the kitchen table and on a cheap hard drive. He’d come here to escape from them and all the stress contained in that yellow plastic hard drive he’d gotten from an office supplies store up the street. Heavy rain poured on his shoulders when he took it back to his dorm. For a moment, he could feel the rain droplets still falling on him.

“...Hold on, I need to go to the bathroom.” Mumbled Techno.

“Oh, okay,” Wilbur replied, but his older brother didn’t fully hear him; he was already halfway up the stairs.

Tommy looked pensive. Something must’ve been up, he figured. Although Techno’s expression was neutral like usual, his feet carried a certain urgency when he went up the stairs. 

“Tommy?” Tubbo asked.

“Yeah?”

“Do you still have my phone charger?”

“S’in my room, I think.”

“Can I have it back?”

“Sure!” He sprinted up the stairs that Techno had moments before. Once he reached his bedroom door, he turned the knob and elbowed it open. To his surprise, there was another person already present. There sat Techno on the side of his bed. Their eyes met instantly, but the older’s were tear-stained. 

“Hey, hey-what’s wrong?” The door clicked shut with another elbow. 

“Tommy, I’m sorry-I can’t, I can’t-”

He rushed over to hug Techno. “Shh, you’re alright.” The other shook like a leaf in his arms. All of the anxiety spilled out through tears. 

His erratic breathing soon slowed and Tommy pulled away. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be crying this was supposed to be us just hanging out and I ruined it-”

“You haven’t ruined anything.”

“College, everyone’s expectations, just EVERYTHING, it’s getting to me.” In an attempt to calm down, he fidgeted with his hair. “It has been for a while.”

The blonde plopped down next to him.“Techno, you’re the most accomplished out of all of us, if you need to take a break or somethin’ it’s totally deserved.”

Techno laughed, yet the laugh was laced with bitterness. “Tommy, there is very little left of me and it’s never coming back.”

“But-but you’re only 23, you’ve got your whole life ahead of you-” Argued Tommy.

“That’s the sad part.” Techno looked Tommy right in the eye as he said that. 

The blonde’s sad expression turned into a determined one. He gripped Techno’s shoulders. “The only sad part is that you believe it, just because you aren’t sure of what to do doesn’t mean you quit!” He laughed. “Hell, most of my life I haven’t been sure what to do.”

All of the pressure to be the best at everything all of the time suddenly felt so small. He felt so small too, just sitting in the room that was no longer his, and the ghost of those nights he’d spent in it studying through nervous breakdowns, searching for something, anything to prove his ability in the freshman-battered textbooks. Most of it wasn’t even to prove his worth to others, but to himself. All of that felt so tiny and far away. “That explains a lot.”

“What’s that s’posed to mean-” They burst into a giggling fit just like old times. “But you do get what I’m saying, right? You don’t have to have it all figured out, that’s part of being young.”

The piglin hybrid turned his face back to him. “Yeah, for real, though,” He said. “I needed that. Thanks, Tommy.”

“Anytime.” Tommy smiled ear-to-ear. “Bro hug?”

“Bro hug!” Techno exclaimed, pulling his brother into a tight hug. Both of them laughed uncontrollably when the younger pretended to suffocate, rolling his eyes back in his head and making a strangled death rattle. Then he fell over when Techno let go of him; he was committing to this corpse act despite still chuckling. “Rip.”

“You’ve suffocated me and all you’ve got to say is ‘rip’?”

He jabbed him with his foot. “Get off the floor, dipshit.”

“I thought you said swear words were a sign of bad vocabula-OW!” The jab turned into a kick. “I’ll fUCK YOU UP, BITCH-” Tommy sprang to his feet. 

“YOU WANNA GO UP AGAINST THE BLADE, TOMMY? DO YA?”

“YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M CApable of-”

They broke into another giggling fit until all of the breath left their lungs and the sky became but a golden haze peeking through the blinds.

**Author's Note:**

> i have no idea what im doing, but im having a lot of fun! special thanks to panda, katie, ryann and kaya you guys are the best!!


End file.
